3 Powerful Tools for Writing Persuasively

If your writer is reluctant, writing opinions is a good place to start. Everyone has opinions, and most students like to express theirs.

Opinions are all about the writer: “I love . . . ,” “I think people should . . . ,” “I hate it when . . . .”

Writing to persuade someone else, on the other hand, is all about the reader. Your students make a shift in their thinking: What ideas and points do readers need before they will change their minds? A persuasion essay needs a few important tools.

The Problem with Storage Units

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

Self-storage units are springing up in the United States like mushrooms in a warm, shady, moist lawn. You see those units around town with the garage doors lined up in row after row and perhaps wonder what could be behind all those doors.

When people have too much furniture or too many belongings in their houses or they move to a new location, they need a space to store that stuff.

Or maybe an entrepreneur sells items on eBay and needs the storage space for them. That’s where storage units come in very handy.

And it’s all a lot of fun until someone can’t pay the monthly rent anymore.

What happens to these storage units full of belongings when the rent is not paid?

Help Your Students Avoid These Three Mistakes in Persuasive Writing

SHARON’S BLOG

It’s easy for our students to make these common mistakes in persuasive writing. I’ve seen them in any number of newspapers and magazines in letters to the editor, and they abound in student essays. I’m guessing you have seen them as well.

I won’t keep you in suspense. Here’s the list:

Problem to Solution: Invasive Species

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

The Florida Everglades’ delicate and balanced ecosystem is being threatened by new species of plants and animals that have no natural predators. For instance, Old World climbing fern, which is not native to Florida, is smothering plants that grow naturally there and that are needed for food and protection to other species.

The Burmese python, which used to be imported to Florida for pet stores,

The Introduction’s Super Power

SHARON’S BLOG

Introductions can be boring. Super boring.

Young writers think they have to fight with a blank piece of paper for that first, amazing sentence before they write anything else, and so they get stuck.

Cue the tissues. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

A mom recently asked me to look at her son’s essay. He was entering a state-wide speech contest on the topic of responsibility and had written a solid essay—except for the introduction. He was going to put his listeners to sleep with it.

We were all sitting at his kitchen table. I turned to this teen and asked him,

My Fellow Students: A Graduation Speech

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

It’s that time of year when everyone likes to give advice about the future—your future!

Yes, it’s close to graduation time!

Graduation speeches

Colleges and universities enjoy speeches from such luminaries as actor Denzel Washington, poet Billy Collins, documentary producer Ken Burns, actor Matthew McConaughey, Bill Nye (the Science Guy), and former President Obama during commencement.

Here’s a quote from actress Sandra Bullock at the Warren Easton Charter School’s graduation in New Orleans:

Coupons

SHARON’S BLOG

I recently cleaned out my purse and found seven expired coupons, most of them for clothing and craft stores. Now that you know how disorganized I am . . .

These coupons gave me an idea for a prompt you can do with your children.

Why do I suggest that you write with your children? When they see you writing, they learn that it’s a legitimate activity in which they can have success. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to read the results to each other. You might be surprised at what you learn about your kids.

Mozilla Ousts CEO for Belief in Traditional Marriage: Write the Dialog

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

What happens when the CEO of a large corporation supports traditional marriage? And what happens when he gives money to a political campaign to support traditional marriage?

FYI, we’re using the term “traditional marriage” to mean the marriage between one man and one woman.

Mozilla, a software company based in California, recently came under fire when some people discovered that their new CEO Brendan Eich had

Characterization: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

King David. Slayer of giants. Hero to many. Kingdom builder. Writer of heartfelt psalms. Follower after God.

Adulterer. Schemer. Murderer.

What gives?

How could someone be so good and so bad?

This writing prompt is about creating believable characters, those that are a realistic mix of positive and negative traits.

Define Your Terms

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

As a writer, it is important to define your terms. In fact, it’s one of your jobs. That way, all readers are on the same page with you and know what you are talking about. Why do you think Paul took up so much space in I Corinthians to define the word “love”?